Mine
by mel.mel.85
Summary: Edward left two months ago, but he's back. But not for the reasons you would think. Something is threatening the reason he ever left and the only way to save her is to return and risk her life again. What happens when someone else takes that from her? R
1. My Dream Come True

**Be nice. It's my first fic. And I'm not too sure where I'm going with this. But I have a pretty good idea. First of all, it starts out in New Moon, everything that happened before New Moon and before Edward left is still true. So if you keep that in mind this you'll understand fine. R&R please.**

Edward has been gone now for two months. Charlie is worried about me and I can't entirely say that I blame him for that. Even though I do try my hardest to be my normal self. It's just so hard without... _him_. I try not to even think his name. I'm too scared it will send me into a hyperventilating spell. I don't think Charlie would be too happy if I ended up in the hospital, just a perfect addition to the rest of his worries.

My social life is pretty much nonexistent now. I rarely talk to anyone at school and they've learned to not talk to me as well. I guess they realize that when the Cullens left they took the majority of soul with them. All that's left is the instinct of survival. I eat, sleep, and do my chores and homework, only speaking when spoken to. It seems like I've sunken into my own numb world, which makes life just a bit more endurable.

The only time that I really feel at ease is when I'm asleep. Then, I can imagine anything I want and the pain doesn't hurt like it should. Mostly, I dream about Edward. I dream about what I might be missing out on and what life would have been like if he had stayed. In my dreams, though, I'm not my normal, human self. I'm one of them. One of the Cullens. I'm finally a part of the family that I've always dreamed of. But something always happens. Something bad... It's always ripped away from me at the epitome of the whole experience. Most recently, I was dreaming of Edward and I hunting. But, out of the blue, I turn around and Edward is gone. I try with all my strength to find him but he's no where. Then, I see a strange glow in the trees and I run for it. Somewhere in the back of my mind I know that he's there. Unfortunately, I'm right. I find him there. Only, he's human. But he's not alive. He's lying on the ground with blood spilling from his neck. And then I wake up.

But this is normal for me. My totally abnormal life is so mundane that I've learned that it won't get any better life everyone says. I have no escape from the pain. I have no way of easing it or distracting myself, even when I try my very hardest.

I wake up to a fairly sunny day. _Greeat_, I say to myself. It's like the sun is mocking me and my undeniable self-pity. For some reason, it feels like the sun has shone more frequently since _they_left. Which is quite unusual for the danky town of Forks, Washington.

I go through my normal routine. Put on my normal clothes, tee-shirt and jeans, topped off with my rain coat that I normally don't need. I eat my normal breakfast without tasting it and without any real conversation with Charlie. I climb in my truck and head out for school. The day carries on as it always does. Each class dragging on without any real excitement. But there normally isn't, not for me at least. Because I'm always stuck in my own little world. Trying not to think about anything at all. I trained myself to clear my mind so that all I would draw up is blank space.

When I get home, I decide on dinner, which is usually the most complex thing that I can come up with so that I can consume as much time as possible. Afterwards, I lay down on the couch and stare at the ceiling. Charlie comes home, we eat, I go to bed early, as usual. But tonight, something feels... different.

* * *

I hung outside her window tonight. The first time I'd seen her in two months. Wow, I thought. She really has changed a lot. She seems... tired. But I guess that's to be expected. If she's been having anything near the horrible life I've had since I left then she must not be sleeping well. And I was right. After she finally got to sleep, she seemed to toss and turn like crazy. Maybe, in her dream at least, she was running from something, or ,perhaps, to something. That's what it looked like at least. After all, she was never the most graceful person, so her running was wild. Arms flailing around like a penguin trying to take flight. But suddenly, the flailing stopped. She found what she needed, I guess.

I always loved watching her sleep. She seemed so peaceful. But not tonight. Almost as quickly as it had ceased, the flailing began again. She was running. I laid my forehead against the glass, trying to picture our past. But I hit the glass a little too hard and it made a loud knock. _Damn_. _Maybe she wouldn't notice. _But maybe she would. Did... She stopped "running" again and sat up in bed looking in my direction. Strange, she was always such a hard sleeper. A tornado could demolish her house completely and she would sleep straight through it.

But, no. She was definitely awake, and looking right at the window. So I quickly swung myself to the side and out of her sight. After a moment of hesitation, I heard her climb out of bed and take a few slow steps toward the window. I could feel her getting closer, hear her heartbeat getting louder, smell her sweet scent. And then, _creaaak_, the window opened slowly, obviously for the first time in a while.

Now, here I was, hiding in the eave of the window, and I was facing a very important decision. Should I let her know I'm here and finally get my purpose back, finally be able to think straight without her face obstructing my view, finally be able to walk into a silent, thoughtless room without expecting to see her there? Or should I hide, and let her live her life without any threat of me hurting her? But then again, staying away obviously was hurting her. But at least she's alive. And when I say alive I mean heartbeat and all. Either way, she was somehow gonna end up hurt. But if I put enough effort into keeping her human, then I could prove myself wrong. Yes, that's it. Besides, I know I won't kill her. I'm past the temptation. All I care about is her health and happiness. The smell no longer has control over me.

So I made a quick decision and acted as carefully as possible.

I made one subtle noise. Just enough for Bella to hear. And it worked. She heard it and immediately caught sight of me! And that was all I needed, that one look answered every question. I would stay. I couldn't leave those eyes again. Ever. Those eyes were all I had been thinking about for the past two months and I would not settle for anything less than the real pair.

* * *

Was it really him? There is absolutely no way. I must be having another dream. Yes, that's it. This will all be over shortly and I will once again be ripped from my sleepless slumber.

Well, I guess since it is a dream, after all, I could humor my subconscious thought. I stared at him for a moment with wide eyes and, then, I finally remembered how to smile. And it wasn't one of the fake smiles that I had finally perfected over that past two months. No, it was my real smile. And it felt so good to release it. Like a wild stallion that had been cooped up in a stall for too long finally unleashed. I hated that it felt so wonderful, though. All of the happiness would soon be gone anyway. So I my smile away again for safekeeping until Edward really returned. I would not waste this moment on an imposture.

He noticed my frown and his smile faded away, as well.

"Hello." he said. Yes, he definitely noticed and didn't seem too happy about it at all. Quite put out, actually.

"Hi..." I hesitated, not sure if I was willing to let this go on any further. Maybe if I just pushed him out of the window, he would die and this painful dream would be over a little sooner. It was worse than the others. This one made me feel so sick, sick and completely remorseful.

"Are you not happy I came back?" He tried. He had a somewhat hopeful expression on his face. But it disappeared almost as quickly as my smile had.

"You haven't," was my only reply. And, at that, I turned and walked silently back into my room. I left the window open, for some unknown reason. He followed me hesitantly and seated himself in my rocking chair that had become his normal perch when we were close.

"But I have. I'm sitting right here in front of you. And I'm not leaving again."

"Yes you are. You always do. Something always happens for you to leave me. But I always wake up to my same room and same life. So I'll just play along with this for now. But tonight, the difference is that I see it coming and I know the disappointment that is in my future."

"Bella, love, this isn't a dream." He said as he stood from the chair and took slow deliberate steps toward the edge of the bed, where I sat. "I'm back, for good."

"That's what you always say. I can't believe you now. I've come so far... I can't let myself fall for this again. I don't want anymore disappointment."

"I don't want to disappoint you. But, Bells, I'm back." He touched my hand, and I felt his icy skin. _That's new_. But I wouldn't fall for it. Not this time. I pulled my hand away and stuck it under the covers. He just stared at me.

"Bella..." He looked pained. He seemed so real. Why couldn't he be? Why couldn't this one dream come true? I mean that's what they say isn't it? Dreams come true? Obviously not. My dreams don't come true. Ever. No matter how real they felt. No matter how real they looked, smelled.

He smelled just as I'd always remembered. He was close to me now, close enough for me to smell his delicious breath.

"I can prove it." I doubted that and I showed it. He looked at me with knowing eyes, "I'll show you." And with that, he pulled me into a strong embrace that surely felt real. And slowly, oh so slowly, he pressed his lips to mine. My heartbeat raced and my breathing quickened and, suddenly, my head felt very light. _That... was definitely my Edward_.

And then it hit me. _He's back_!

"Oh... my...," but I didn't get to finish. Because before I could he had his lips against mine again except this time with more force and I knew that this was him. I wasn't dreaming anymore and hopefully this time he wouldn't get ripped away from me. I didn't want to wake up, even if it was a dream.

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**Hope you liked. Please let me know! Update will be in soon enough. xo; Mel**

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	2. Too Much Information

"I... I don't believe it... What are you doing back here? I thought you hated me..." I started rambling. I didn't know what to think. It was like I had finally woken up from my dream world and reality the way it should be was settling in, slowly but surely. I really wasn't quite sure what to say, what to do. All I really was vaguely aware of was the fact that the person that I had been dreaming about for too long had come back and I was more than satisfied. But even that was not enough to break the shell that I had built up over the past two months.

"I finally decided that I needed you in my life more than I needed anything else. And, no matter how hard I try... You will always be the most important thing to me, Bella" Oh my god, he spoke. It really is him. He really is back. _Geez_... I smiled. Finally, I had a use for that smile. The one that I had locked away just moments ago because I thought that this... this... angel was nothing but a dream. But the truth is that he looks ten times more heavenly in person than I could ever imagine him to be in a dream. But still, something felt wrong. Like I hadn't woken up entirely, yet. Like it was still a dream to me.

I couldn't say anything. What could I say to that? I was stunned. Frozen in place with shock. And I was tired. But I wouldn't sleep! Not after this reunion.

"Bella? Are you ok?"

What did he just ask? I wasn't paying attention but I know he spoke. I could feel my heartbeat speed up and I started feeling dizzy. I haven't has this kind of rush in a long time. "Huh?" was all I could come up with, since I hadn't even heard what the question was.

"Bella, maybe you should sit down." There it was. My name. The first time I'd heard that beautiful voice say my name in so long. At least, the first time I _really _heard it.

"Uh... yeah..." so I sat and stared at him with wide eyes. I was happy, no doubt about that, but I was still hurt. It would take a while for him to be able to heal the breaks that had formed in my heart. I wonder why... my heart never was totally broken.. I mean, there were cracks in it, for sure, but it never did shatter like I expected it to. I guess it was because I knew in the back of my mind that I would find him again some how, even if he never came back to me. I would look for him, and I would find him. I was determined. But he had done the work for me. And finally I recovered from the shock.

I jumped off my bed and threw myself at him. Him. He's back!! Ugh this is amazing! And I can't believe I launched myself on him like that but what was I supposed to do! My dream has come true and I couldn't be happier.

"Whoa, Bella. Calm down! What's gotten into you?" he managed to say after prying me off of him– I say prying because I did put up all of my effort into clinging to him, not like that did anything with the force of his strength.

"I'm just so happy you're back! I've missed you so much Edward. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders and I can finally be happy again. I can finally release the smiles I've been holding in for so long!" He smiled at that. I knew he was just as happy as I was. But there had to be some other reason for him coming back. It seemed to good to be true. He couldn't have just all of sudden decided to give into his "selfish" side, at least, that's what he calls it. If I know Edward, he wouldn't have given in if he thought this was what was best for me. Now, don't get me wrong. I couldn't be happier now that I had him back but I knew that there had to be something going on. Something he was keeping from me.

"Wait... did something happen? Your family, are they ok?" his frown grew as I spoke.

"Why would you think something happened to them, Bella?"

"Because you're back here. And I don't think you would have given in so easily if you hadn't thought something happened."

"Oh..." I could see it in his eyes, right then. Something happened. All happiness faded from my face. " Well, yes, something did happen. But I don't want to talk about it, yet. Don't worry, though. I'm sure they'll be fine, Bella, I just wanted to make sure you were ok. So, I came back, and I'm not leaving you."

"Wait, they aren't here with you? Where are they? Where are you going to stay?"

"Oh don't worry about that. I'm staying with you. I need to be with you now more than ever, Bella"

"Just tell me what happened! I need to know! You couldn't possibly expect me to just welcome you with open arms and not want to know what happened to our– your family!"

"Bella, I'm going to tell you. Just not right now. It's not safe right now."

"What are you talking about? Is someone watching me or something? This is ridiculous."

"Yes, you're right, Bella"

"Right about what? Someone's watching or this is ridiculous?"

"Er... both, Bella." My face went blank. I could feel the blood rushing from it, getting paler. What did that mean? Someone watching me? Here comes the shock again.

* * *

Ugh. What am I supposed to tell her? Someone is watching her, yes. But how do I go about explaining something like this to her? I don't know what to do.

Carlisle would have wanted Bella to know, I know that. But I can't tell her. Not with all of the risks that I'm already taking. She could be killed for crying out loud! And then I would not only have my family on my conscience, but the love of my existence, as well! Nope. It's not happening.

"What do you mean 'both'? Am I gonna die? I've been doing so good lately! I haven't had a single near death experience since you left! I thought maybe we had finally won against fate. And now..." she was rambling. She needs to quit doing that. It's spoiling the seriousness of the moment, I might laugh at her. If I laughed, I don't think I would be too happy with myself. Not under these circumstances anyway.

So I stopped listening, a little bit, at least, and walked over to the window, again. I could definitely smell him out there. Lurking in the woods, I'm sure. But he wasn't going to be able to fulfill his plans. Not with me here at least.

No. He would have to wait. And even if he tried to carry out his plan, I would stop him and then all of my problems would be solved. But he wouldn't be that stupid. He knew he'd have to wait. He knew he couldn't beat me.

"Are you even listening to me!? This is serious!" When did she get so uptight? It wasn't a problem for her right now. All she had to worry about was how long it would take for me to get this guy. I, on the other hand, had a lot to worry about. Like my parents, Rosalie, my brothers, and Alice, in particular. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do about all of this!

"Yes, Bella. I'm listening. You have nothing to worry about right now. I'm gonna fix this and then we can go back to our normal lives. Almost..." I shouldn't have said that. I could see the disappointment replace the shock that had been all over her face then slowly disappointment turned back to shock. God, I wish I could know what she was thinking.

"Are... are you gonna leave, again? I... I thought you were staying with me." Ugh, this is unbearable. I hurt her and I didn't even mean it like that! I am such a dumbass.

"No! No, Bella, that's not what I meant! We're going to be together forever. You don't have to worry about that." I could see it on her face, though, that she was still worrying. This hurts so badly. How could I possibly go through with what I have to do with her constantly holding me back like this without even realizing it.

"Then what do you mean our normal lives _almost_? My _almost _normal life just came to an abrupt halt because you're back here! My _almost _normal life was only normal because I did the same thing every single day. Never anything different. I never went out, I never had real conversations. I can't go back to a _normal _life, Edward. Not without you."

"Bella, don't you understand?! You won't be without me! I'm not leaving you here. I'll always be with you." she was so oblivious!

"Then why did you say almost? What does that mean, Edward? Help me understand!" We were talking somewhat loudly, now. I needed to calm her down before we woke Charlie up.

"Bella, I have to leave here. But I'm not leaving without you. I'm taking you with me." She stopped freaking out. At least, for the moment. Hopefully, she wouldn't be angry about this. Although, she didn't have much of a say in it. I was bringing her with me as far away from here as possible. But she wouldn't be happy about leaving Charlie.

"Wh-What? Where are we going?" I knew she'd want to know.

"I can't tell you that, yet. It isn't safe here, Bella. You have to understand that much."

"B-but what about Charlie?" She was trembling now. I could tell that was the only thing that was holding her back.

"Believe me, Bella, Charlie is probably the safest person in the Olympic Peninsula." This caught her by surprise. I think I said too much.

"What do you mean? What did he do?" She must have noticed the look I had on my face. I was worried. Worried she's hear the double-meaning in my words. Ever since I'd met her, I had been half-lying a lot. Which made me better at it. And her better at catching it.

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**Oooo. What happens next? I'm pretty sure I know what I'm gonna do with it. So you won't find out unless you readd! And you won't get to read unleass you review! R&R pleaseee. **


	3. UhWhat?

**Ok, so I'm so so so sorry, but I decided that I hated the original third chapter. So I deleted it and added this new one-- which is sooooo much better! Believe me. I just didn't like the direction it was headed in. It seemed too... sudden, I guess. So, here's the new chapter 3. And if you hate me for this and it confuses you, let me know and I'll figure some way to make it up to you. Thanks for the support. Please review with your opinions. xo mel**

I managed to get her to understand that I couldn't tell her anymore that night. And after a while, she'd agreed to go to sleep. I didn't tell her that we would leave the next morning, after Charlie left for a fishing trip. I had to keep our plans to myself so that he wouldn't hear it.

Bella didn't know that someone had been following her, watching her, memorizing everything she did. She didn't know that her life was in serious danger as long as she stayed in her house, as long as she stayed in Forks. The same person that had been following her had threatened my family. They don't know where I am, but they knew I left. The only person that knows where I am is Alice. But she couldn't tell me what to do because whoever was after us all was very careful, so, obviously, they knew our skills and knew a lot about our family. All we knew about what they were planning was that someone was after Bella and that if I didn't fix this as soon as possible, everything that I had been fighting against, the whole reason I left her in the first place would be pointless.

She slept through the rest of the night, clinging to me the whole time. I guess she slept dreamlessly because there was no "running" or any mumbling, actually. She just laid there motionless. Very strange. But at least she was sleeping.

After I had finally pried myself loose from her grasp and taken a seat in the rocking chair, she woke up. I guess I should have noticed it was daytime. Which quite honestly, it sucks since I had finally managed to release myself from her death grip. My mistake.

She stared at me with sleepy eyes as if she had forgotten the whole mess but a look of realization finally struck her. Strangely enough, it wasn't a look of fear, of course, but a look of rejoice. And she jumped out of bed and nearly tackled me, just like the first night I ever stayed, to her knowledge.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I did. It was different knowing that you were back. I usually had nightmares while you were gone."

"Oh, really? I'm sure I would have, too, if I could sleep. I was miserable, you know."

"I was, too. Maybe, even worse than you. I was completely numb, I had taught myself not to think, I didn't speak unless someone spoke to me. It was bad. Charlie was worried, I could tell. But I never tried to make it better. I couldn't. When you left, part of me went with you and it feels like that part jumped through my window last night."

I chuckled a little bit at her first statement. How could she possibly know how bad I felt? And if she really thought she had it worse then she had no idea.

"Bella, I didn't just have to deal with leaving you. I also had to deal with the opinions of everyone in my family and people's weird opinions of me as I walked down the street on a normal day. I was angry all the time, I didn't hunt nearly as much as I should have so I was weak, I haven't touched a piano in so long that I think my fingers couldn't find the chords to play anything worth while. I wanted so bad to just give in and come back but I couldn't risk it."

"So why did you come back, then? If it was such a risk? You said something happened. Can you tell me know?"

"I'm sorry, Bella, but I can't. This isn't the safest place."

"Well, where can we go that is safe? Is there anywhere?"

"Not now, Bella. There isn't anywhere that is safe right now."

"Couldn't you just write it down or something? Edward, I need to know. I really do! The suspense is killing me."

I thought about that for a moment. She did have a point, after all. But I still hadn't worked out what I was going to tell her. I couldn't tell her everything and I already knew that. So what do I do?

"I'll write some of it down, but I can't tell you everything. I don't even know that much. But I know enough to be worried."

She jumped off my lap and hurried to her desk to pull out some paper and a pen. When she returned I hesitated for a moment to think one more time about what I would tell her and what I would not.

_Someone has threatened my family. We don't know who because they are extremely careful with choosing their paths and blocking their thoughts. We think that whoever this is can shield their thoughts, kind of like how I can read people's. We think it might be a special skill that they have. We also don't know how many people might be doing this. It could be anyone, so we don't know where to start. _

_And Charlie. Alice saw something happening with him, in the future. She saw them involving him and changing him. She saw him giving them some kind of information. But everything that she sees is blurry and distorted so, of course, we can't tell who. And she doesn't see this coming from Charlie but from them. So he doesn't know this is going to happen. And there is a good chance that it won't because Charlie could avoid it easily. _

_But they're watching us, right now, Bella. So I can't protect Charlie. They know we know that he will be involved. All we can do is wait and hope that Charlie will do the right thing. Until then, I have to figure out what to do about this whole mess. _

She read it over three times and looked up at me with wide eyes. I couldn't tell if it was fear and worry or just thoughtfulness– obviously, the progress I had made at reading people's faces had backtracked a bit, since I've been gone.

"So have you thought of what you can do?"

"Not yet."

I started scrawling on the paper, again.

_I thought about it all night. But I keep drawing up blanks. I've also been listening very closely to see if they made any slip ups about hiding their thoughts but I get nothing. Whatever kind of shield they've got up is as sturdy as a brick wall. But I hear enough to know that they're out there._

She definitely looked deep in thought now. Maybe, she could help me come up with some sort of solution.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm trying to help. And I'm wondering where Charlie is."

She looked at me with worried eyes and I knew that she meant that she hoped today wasn't that day.

"He went fishing earlier this morning. Don't worry."

She eased up a bit at that. Now, the only matter left at hand was what we were going to do. I figured it would be best if we went about the day as if nothing was wrong, just in case they weren't listening. That way, we could throw them off a bit.

"So what do you want to do today?"

"Well, I need to go to the grocery store, then I'm completely free. If you hadn't come back, I probably would have rolled up in a ball of the couch and gone to sleep. Usually, I left the TV on so that if Charlie came home he would think I'd been watching it."

"Wow. You had it all figured out, huh?"

"Yep, but I do need to call Renee."

Then it occurred to me.

"I have an idea. How long has it been since you've seen your mom?"

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**R&R Please! Sorry about the mix-up. Oh and internet has been down so the new chapter might take a bit longer.**


	4. Bella!

**First of all, I want to apologize one more time for reposting the last chapter... I'm really really really sorry. and if you haven't read it you might want to cuz this chapter will NOT make any since whatsoever if you don't. sorrrrrrrry.**

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"Wait, wait, wait. Explain this to me one more time. We're going where?" I asked as Edward sat at my ancient computer, waiting patiently for a page to load on internet, as slow as it is.

"Bella, in how many different forms do think its possible to write this. Hm? Read it. Think about it. Comprehend it. That's as much information as your going to get. Now, go light the damn fireplace and burn the damn notes before I get mad and have to throw your damn ass outside–" I glared at him, "which, of course, I would never do. But still. Seriously, Bells."

"Ok, fine. But I don't understand why it has to be that. I really would prefer not including her."

"Yes, well, it's our only choice. Now, stop procrastinating and get your ass downstairs."

I picked up all of our notes and brought them downstairs. As I was lighting the fire, I was thinking about all that had happened in the last 12 hours. I went from my normal abnormal life and back to my normal normal life in only that small period of time. I mean, you have to admit. I was far from normal yesterday.

But let's not get into that, again. We don't want to ruin my good mood, now, do we?

Thought so.

Anyways, I burned all of our notes and made sure every corner of the paper had morphed sufficiently into ash before I trotted back upstairs. But, when I passed by the window on my way to the stairs, I caught a glimpse of the woods. And I could swear I saw two red eyes staring at me from the trees. It could be a figment of my imagination, but those eyes seemed familiar. Strange. But, I continued on my merry way up the stairs and back into the arms of my Edward.

Sure enough, there he was. Sitting at my computer, once again, waiting for a page to load.

"Ya know, you could do that by phone," he glared at me. Right, I forgot about the whole "not saying our plan out loud" thing. Then, the image of the red eyes came to me. I shuddered. "Oh, right, my bad."

"Yeah."

I laid down on my bed while I waited and, soon enough, he was finished and had purchased two airline tickets for Florida. He had made sure that the time of departure could be decided at any time and changed whenever. Now, all that was left was to wait, and see when we were going to be able to leave.

For now, we would need something to do to pass the time, keeping in mind, of course, the third wheel we would have tagging along everywhere we went.

"We could go up to Port Angeles– get a bite to eat or go to a movie."

"But, I would be the only one eating." He always seemed like this fact was perfectly ok, but I didn't like it. It felt weird when he bought me food and just sat there and watched while I ate away his unlimited funds.

"And?"

"And... no. But the movie could work. Are you sure we could do that?" I looked at him with as implying of an expression I could come up with, but I knew he understood what I meant.

"Well, yeah. Would Charlie mind? He doesn't even know I'm back."

"I'll leave a note or something." The less he knows, the better, after all.

"Alright, then. Let's do it."

So I got changed and we headed up to Port Angeles. The ride was a lot shorter since Edward, pushing my truck to its absolute limit, went a max of 64 mph– big deal. After that, well, nothing really amazing happened. I didn't catch anymore glimpses of our friend and we didn't discuss anything of importance. It was just a regular day out, and it felt amazing to have Edward back in my life.

When we returned, it was only about four in the afternoon, and Charlie wasn't home from his fishing trip. He was usually home by around two so this was a little out of the ordinary. But, maybe, things had changed since Edward left and I just didn't notice. Maybe, his fishing trips were just a chance to get away from my awkward behavior. I don't blame him.

Sure enough, when we got to the front door, my short, sweet and to the point note was still taped to the door handle. I ripped it off quickly and opened the door.

When we walked in, everything was a mess. The ashes of the fire place were thrown all over the living room, the couch was ripped to shreds, the tv– though still entirely intact, thank god– was sitting on the floor and the armoire it usually sat in was pulled away from the wall. I went into the kitchen and all of the cabinets were thrown open and the refrigerator door hung limply, the beeping of its alarm filled the room. No doubt, the entirety of its contents were completely spoiled.

"Wow," was all I could manage to say, as I took in the devastation of my home.

Edward seemed frozen in place as he looked around. He looked like he was listening intently for any hum of our friend's thoughts.

"We have to leave, now. Don't worry about packing. We only have a little bit of time."

And that was it. We left.

After that, everything was chaos. We got to the air port ok and according to Edward, our friend wasn't following. He guessed that they were off telling someone what they knew, or gathering further information. There was one other option, but neither of us spoke it.

Charlie.

I have to admit, I was worried. He was still my father, after all. But what he would do was inevitable, so I had to deal with it.

I wrote a new note and left it on the door handle. It, too, was short, sweet and to the point.

_Gone. Don't look for me. You won't find me. _

And he wouldn't. We covered our tracks well. I didn't even pack a suitcase. So he could either assume I had gone to Vegas to elope or even that I had moved into a whore house in Seattle to make my living. Ha, he could never think that. That was just me lightening the situation. But you never know, with Charlie's imagination.

Once we were on the plane, we were free to discuss as we pleased. And we took full advantage. I asked my questions, and he asked his. His, might I add, were totally off subject. But, hey, what can I do?

"Will they be able to find us, now?"

"I don't know, yet, Bella. It all depends on who they're working with. But, hopefully, they can't. Don't get me wrong, there are ways to find us. But it would take months, maybe years. But we don't know what kind of abilities their accomplices have. And I, honestly, doubt that they are working alone. This isn't the type of thing someone does on their own."

"Are we going to stay with my mother? Or are we going to keep on the move?"

"I'm not sure, yet. That all depends on your mother." He stared at me for a moment. " My turn. What happened while I was gone?"

"Ha, I couldn't tell you, if I tried. I was barely there. The only part of me that paid any attention was the back side of my mind. I listened for people to speak to me, just in case I needed to think of some sort of response. But, other than that, I was a vegetable."

"I'm so sorry I left you. I only wanted what was best. Obviously, I was wrong. I did the worst thing possible by leaving you. Anything could have happened. You are, after all, the one and only danger magnet."

It continued like that for a while and eventually, I fell asleep. When I woke up, we were in Jacksonville. We hadn't informed my mother ahead of time that we were coming.

When we arrived at her house, I knocked hesitantly on the door.

When she opened it, she stood there for a moment, just looking at me. And then it clicked.

"Bella!" It was a little more surprised than I thought. Was that good or bad?

* * *

**Ok, so, I didn't get any reviews on the last cahpter and I'm not too happy about that. :( see the sad face. Puhlease review! It makes me really really happy! And it gives me that much more of a boost on posting the next chapter. Which brings me to my next bit of news! I am currently being initiated into one of the most exclusive clubs at my school. Hell Week. Yeah, it's gonna be crazy. The point is, it'll take me a bit longer the get the next chapter up because that's going to be hogging up a lot of time. Plus, a huige chemistry test. UGH! But it'll come. Be patient and REVIEW!! pwease :) seeya. mel.**


	5. Long day

Edward and I were sitting in living room. Mom had left us in there while she did something. I looked around at all the nice furniture. It seemed so wrong. Mom wasn't normally a good decorator, so I usually picked stuff out if we needed it.

She had seemed tense. She was fidgeting constantly, and I was kind of worried. And, at the moment, I had a lot to worry about.

"Uh... I'm gonna go... get some w-water." I got up and made my way to the kitchen. It took me a minute to find a glass in all the cabinets but I managed. The glasses were so ornate and they matched the beautiful plates that my mom had bought._ This is weird_, I said to myself as I turned on the sterling silver faucet. Everything was so decorative and it all collaborated well together. It was as if my mom had hired a professional interior designer to come in and take my job.

Then, I saw on the counter what looked to me like a fax from Forks. I looked a little closer and noticed that it was from the police department. _Greaat_. I stared at the paper for a moment after I read it. I was stunned and I couldn't move.

_Gone. Don't look for me. You won't find me. _

My note?

I continued reading and saw at the bottom a notescrawled in Charlie's sloppy handwriting:

_Please, help me find her. If you hear anything let me know immediately. _

_Oh, crap. Where exactly did mom go? She couldn't be calling Charlie! He can't know where we are! _I was panicking. Before I knew what I was doing, I tip-toed out of the kitchen, searching for my mom to find out what she was doing.

I found her in her bedroom, of course, on the phone. However, I could only hear half of the conversation.

"Yes, she just showed up on my doorstep without any warning..." She paused, nodding to herself.

"She was with Edward..."

"They're in the living room right now..."

"No, they don't know I'm calling you..."

"Why are you freaking out so much? At least you know where she is!..."

"No, I'm not sending her home. She can go back when she wants..."

"Obviously, you did do something, Charlie, or she wouldn't be running away to me!..."

"Fine, you do whatever you want, but I'm not sending her back." She slammed the phone down on the receiver and I bolted back to the living room.

Edward saw me run back in the room and jump onto the couch next to him. He eyed me suspiciously as my mom walked back in the room.

"So, Mom, who did your decorating? The place looks really nice." I started up a nonchalant conversation.

"Oh, actually I did it myself. Do you really like it?"

"Wow! It looks really good! Like a professional did it or something."

"Well, thank you. I–" The phone rang in the other room, "Oh, let me go grab that real quick." And she was gone, again.

"Ok, what's going on? You're acting strange."

"Charlie knows we're here." And I explained what had happened and when it dawned on him:

"Bella, you have to stay here. I'm going to go and figure out something for us to do, ok?" He stood up and started for the door.

I stood up, too, a look of frustration clearly visible on my face.

"No! I'm going with you! You can't just leave me here. What if something happens?"

"Nothing is going to happen, Bella. You'll be fine here. Don't worry." Before I could argue with him anymore he had my face in his hands and he was giving me one of those looks that made me melt, only, this time, it was different. There was so much passion in his eyes mixed in with worry that all I could do was give in and let him go.

Then, like water busting through a dam, his lips crashed onto mine. I had to tell myself to breath or I would have forgotten completely. If he hadn't been holding me up, I probably would have collapsed and that wouldn't be very good. It would definitely put a damper on the moment. And these were the moments that enjoyed most in my life. My heart was running a race inside my chest and blood was rushing to my cheeks.

It was strange. All of the things that were going wrong in my life but I was still perfectly content with just standing with him, just like this. I could stay like this with him all day and never want anything different, besides the obvious.

I looked up at him. My face, most likely, blood red. My heart still going crazy and I'm sure he could hear it.

"I love it when you do that." And he was gone. I was alone with my mom and I had no idea how long it would be like this.

"Where did Edward go?" She was back. _Ugh_.

"Oh, he just realized he left something at the airport, so he went to get it."

"Oh, ok. He's cute by the way. I'm sad I haven't gotten to be formally introduced, yet. The phone rings too much around here, you know."

"I can't say I know how that feels." I forced a laugh. _This is going to be a long day. _

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**You'll all be happy to know that hell week is over and I am officially a part of one of the most exclusive clubs of my school. :) anways, thank you to all of the reviewers from the last chapters. I would still like to get more though :( it really does brighten my whole day! lol. but yeah next chapter should be up soon.**


	6. On the Road Again

Four hours, twenty-three minutes and 56... 57... 58– ok so twenty- four minutes. That's how long its been since Edward left me stranded at my mother's house. Charlie could be on his way right now by jet and I would be pretty much screwed.

WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!

Ok, keep calm.

I was laying in the room my mom had specified for me, I told her I needed a nap. There was absolutely no napping involved. How was I supposed to sleep when every single one of my nerves was on end? If a cricket passed gas right now, I would hear it and I would jump off the bed in shock. _That _is how freaked out I am, right now.

I decided I needed to relax a little bit, so I traded sitting on the edge of the bed like a tiger ready to pounce for laying down and taking deep soothing breaths.

In... Out... In... Out... In-Out– stop that!– In... Out... In... Out...

It continued on like that for another 18 minutes, until, I heard the doorbell ring. Then, all of my nerves were going crazy again as I bolted for the front door.

I beat my mom to it and wrenched it open with more force than intended. In the process, I managed to smack my rear-approaching mother in the face. Of course, Edward, standing in the doorway, laughed loud enough that only I could hear and then frantically helped my mother up, asking questions like, "Are you ok?", "Is there a bump?", and "How many fingers am I holding up?" (Which, of course, was two. Everyone always holds up two. Statistics show that 94.6 of people hold up two fingers when asking this question)

After he had tended to my injured mother, we both went into the kitchen and had the discussion I had been waiting for, for the past four hours and forty-six minutes.

"What's the plan? Where are we going to go now?"

"No where, yet. Charlie is on his way here."

"Then we should be leaving, now!"

"No, we're going to wait for him to get to the airport. Then, just before he gets here, that's when we'll leave. We don't want to leave while he's on the plane because Renee will call him immediately. However, we don't want to leave after he arrives because he'll have our friend with him no doubt." I started to protest, "We leave as soon as Renee leaves to go pick him up from the airport. I expect she won't be telling you he's coming. But I'll know." He tapped his temples, smiling. He was so immature. This is a very critical moment and all he can do is joke around like a child. Ugh.

I couldn't argue anymore. He had thought this through thoroughly apparently. And I knew good and well that whatever Edward planned on doing was final.

So, we waited. And waited. And waited. Then, finally, at around 9 o'clock, the phone rang, and, of course, Renee ran to answer it.

After a moment of intense silence, she returned.

"Well, I guess it's about time I got dinner going. I need to go pick up some things. Will you two be ok here by yourselves?" I could tell that was a lie, whether it was because I was anticipating that lie or just because my mom was a bad liar I'll never know.

"I think we can manage." I forced another laugh. And she left.

I stared at Edward, expecting, at any moment, for him to jump up and retrieve our bags, but he just sat there, complacent.

"Uh, Edward, she left...?" He just shook his head, so I assumed she was still here.

After a moment of silence, he got up and retrieved our bags while I called a taxi. I didn't tell the driver where we were going because I didn't exactly know. But I would before he got here, there was no doubt about that.

"So...," I started, "Where are we going?" He stared at me blankly for a moment. What was his deal? He hasn't said much all day. Its as if he's not really there.

"Hm?"

"Where. Are. We. Going?" I repeated slowly.

"Uh, well... I'm not positive yet." Ok, this was weird. Edward– my Edward, always ready for anything– had no idea what our plan was. Obviously, he hadn't thought it through this far. "I think we might just go rent a car, and drive. Drive until we get as far away as we can. This way, they can't predict where we might be headed, because no one will know. Not even us."

Ok, that sounded alright. Maybe he had thought it through a little bit. But still, it was weird that the one person who was always on top of everything didn't have a solid plan.

When the taxi arrived, we told him to take us to the nearest rental car place. Of course, Edward had to rent the fastest car we had. An '04 Mustang Cobra. When we were safely inside, he said, "Not exactly what I had in mind, but it'll do for now." Unbelievable. He was never satisfied.

* * *

**First of all, I would like to give a special thanks to balletvaki and XoChelseaAmberXo. I appreciate the loyalty, y'all.  
Second, I would like to tell you that the statistic in this chapter was completely made up and just for some back-up 93.1 of all statistics are made up. :)  
Now, I'm going to continue doing the acknowledgments if I get enough good reviews. So, review! I will love you forever and ever and ever! he. ily. mel.**


	7. Darkness

When we arrived at our hotel, I carried Bella up to the room and let her sleep. She didn't need to know where we were right away. Besides, I needed this time to think, not answer any questions.

Where exactly were we headed, first of all? I had just been driving North, so far. And, quite frankly, I had no particular location in mind. Just North. Second, what exactly were we going to do once we arrived at this unknown destination? Honestly, I hadn't thought about that either. I've been so focused on getting Bella away from the danger that I hadn't even thought about how to rid us of this problem completely. We couldn't just keep running forever. Something would end up catching us, eventually, if we continued this way. On one hand, I would like to return to Washington and finish this off the easy way, but, on the other, I didn't want Bella to get hurt. This end of the spectrum was the one with the strongest hold on me. Bella was all I cared about and if she got hurt I would never be able to live with myself.

What was I supposed to do?

I laid there in thought, for a while, Bella safely in my grasp. A few moments later, my phone started vibrating on the table across the room. I got up and grabbed it but, to keep from waking Bella, stepped out in the hall to take the call.

"Edward, its Alice. How is everything? Is Bella ok? Are you?" She seemed frantic, like he had been worrying constantly, which I knew he had.

"We're fine Alice. But how is the family? Were there anymore threats?"

"Well, you couldn't really call it much of a threat. They never actually threatened us. But it was quite intimidating. Actually–"

"Alice, just tell me what the threat was."

"It was a note. Just like last time. Only it looked like different hand writing. Maybe female. There wasn't a scent on the paper and, once again, I couldn't see anything. Our futures were blank."

"What did the note say?" I was getting a little irritated, now. She was just beating around the bush. Was this stalling? Hiding something even bigger?

"Well, it was very vague. All it said was 'I'm gone. But I'll be back for you.' And that's it."

"What does that mean? Where did he–" There was a crash of glass breaking in the room. I darted for the door and frantically searched but it was of no use.

Bella was gone.

What's going on? What's going on? What's going on?

First, I'm sleeping like a baby and, now, I wake up to a strange darkness. Where am I?!

I laid there for a while, unable to move. I was paralyzed and I'm pretty sure it wasn't from fear. This was something else. And my entire body was burning. It felt like I was on fire, but I couldn't even open my eyes. All I could do was lie there and endure the pain– no, the agony.

Laying. Laying and listening. That was it. And it dragged on forever. I had no idea what was happening.

No. No, no, no, no!! Where did she go, where did she go? Oh my god. How could I let this happen! What have I done? I should have never left. You don't have to leave the room to talk on the phone, you idiot! She never would have woken up!

I was in complete shock. I couldn't feel my legs, so I collapsed to the ground. Paralyzed. And slowly slipped into my own version of unconsciousness.

A few hours later.

I came back to reality slowly, jolted by someone steadily shaking me.

"Edward!"

"Huh? Alice?"

"Yes, its me! Oh, Edward. I'm so sorry! I was too late! I left as soon as I saw."

"Wait, you saw something? What did you see? Tell me!" Now, I was the one doing the shaking. I was still absolutely frantic. Still, I had no idea what to do about this. But, at least, now I had someone to help me.

"I just saw a small blur. It was hardly anything to be so hostile about. But I couldn't take any chances." She was babbling. No time for that.

"Stop beating around the bush and come out with it!"

"Ok! Gah... I saw Bella in a dark room... she was bleeding... but it vanished almost as quickly as it came. It might not have even been accurate. We must find her, now, Edward." And with that she pulled me out the window and we were off. We followed what little trail there was. All the scent we could find was Bella. They had, however, managed to hide a lot of it. It seemed like it was only half there.

We followed it until the sun started to rise and we had to seek shelter. It was going to be quite sunny in Charleston that day.

When is this going to stop? The burning... its too much! What happened to me? What did I do to deserve this?

Wait... voices? I hear voices! Who are you and what have you done to me? Why can't I say it?!

They're discussing something...

"What are we going to do when they get here?" A man's raspy voice asked. He sounded somewhat annoyed. His voice didn't sound familiar.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We aren't even positive that they'll find us. All we know is that they are looking for us." A woman's voice spoke this time. Her voice was so soft and almost musical. It was angelic.

"But if they do and we aren't prepared, that could put us and our plans in danger." Another woman. Her voice was just as heavenly as the first. I was slowly slipping into another period of unconsciousness and I was welcoming it. That was the only way for me to escape the pain. But I was determined to hear more of this conversation.

Suddenly, the floor had disappeared from underneath me. Were they taking me somewhere? Maybe they had realized I was hurt and were taking me somewhere to get help!

"We'll just leave her in here for a while. Just in case they do come, so they won't find her as easily. Rachel, you can stay and watch so she doesn't wake up and destroy everything." Maybe, not. "I guess, we can leave her here until she does wake up." This was the man speaking. I guess, he was in charge. But I didn't much care anymore. The darkness of unconsciousness was slowly enveloping me.

"I don't think they'll find us today. We have some time to prepare her. She should be awake tomorrow."

Darkness.

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**So so so sorry that it took me so long to write this one. Homecoming is tonight and homecoming week has been kinda crazy. I egged a ton of cars... ha it was great. But yeah, hope yall enjoy this one and uh... yeah. Read and Review!! Wish me luck at homecoming tonight! :) xo; Mel.**


	8. Familiar Face

Whoa, I can see. Man, the burning is gone and my vision is like crazy great. I've always had good vision but this is just insane.

Wait.

Wasn't there something I was supposed to be worried about?

I looked around the strange room. First, I examined the disgusting floor that I was laying on. That's the first thing to change. Ok, so how do I work these again? I tried standing up, only to fall right back to the nasty floor I had been so eager to get away from. But after falling, I began to realize that I wasn't in a familiar place. Actually, I'm pretty sure I had no idea where I was.

Then, the panic came. I began searching the room for any sign of familiarity. Anything at all. But there was nothing. Only blank walls and shadows.

"Where am I?" I asked the empty room. "Hello? Is anybody here?" I just sat on the floor panicking. Unable to stand or move. Slowly, I began to notice the burning sensation in the back of my throat. Then, I started to see something moving in a shadow in the far corner of the room.

"Hello? Is someone over there? Can you tell me where I am?" I'm pretty sure I had made the panic known with my voice. What had happened to me? I don't even remember what made me fall unconscious.

Then, with a rush of realization, it all came back. The burning, the voices, the darkness, the paralyzation. But nothing before that.

I stared harder into the shadow, trying to make use of my powerful vision. And it worked. A figure emerged, with pale skin and red eyes. A woman. She was beautiful– no, angelic. If it weren't for the red eyes I would think I was in heaven. And the nasty floors and shadows. Maybe, it was hell. Was I dead?

"Bella, you're awake." She sounded happy to see me.

"Uh, yes, I am. Who are you?" It was only then that I realized I had forgotten my own name. But, I'm guessing, it's Bella.

"I'm sorry I have forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Rachel. The others will be back soon."

"The others? What happened to me? And where am I? I don't remember anything." She seemed surprised at this news, and yet, somewhat pleased.

"Really? One moment, I'm going to call the others. I'll be right back." And she was gone. So fast that I almost didn't see it. But apparently, this new vision of mine had some advantages.

______________________________________________________________________________

"Alice, how could I let this happen to her? I shouldn't have let her out of my sight. Not even for a second."

"Edward, she's going to be fine. I promise, I will not let her get hurt. We're going to find her and we're going to make this right again. Don't worry." We laid there in a new hotel room, Alice trying her hardest to comfort me. But the only thing that could comfort me, now, was Bella and I, back in Forks, sitting in her kitchen with her absurd father barking at us, again.

But that was over, for now and until I get my Bella back. And I would get her back... or die trying. Life wasn't worth living– or whatever this is– without her to share it with. I wouldn't let this go on.

As soon as it got dark, we began following her scent, again. It led us in many different directions. Circling one place many times, I'm guessing, to throw us off. But we weren't giving up any time soon.

The trail continued into some woods and we continued to follow, without a clue as to where it would lead.

______________________________________________________________________________

I laid on that disgusting floor for a while, wondering what brought me here and who I was. What happened to me to make me forget?

I was deep in thought when Rachel returned. So deep that I barely noticed that she had three other people with her. All of which were pale and beautiful, just like her. They even had her dark red eyes. Family, I guessed.

"There she is." Rachel said, pointing at me with her index finger.

"Ah, yes, she looks very healthy, and strong, too. And she says she remembers nothing?" The man whom I assumed to be the leader spoke.

"Yes, that's what she says. But I figured I should tell you before I tested that." Rachel said.

"You were right to come to me. Bella, you don't remember anything at all?" He directed this toward me and I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I mean, do I bow? Everyone else addressed him like he was a king, so why not?

"Uh, yeah. I mean– no. I don't remember anything." I must sound like an idiot.

"Strange. Elizabeth, did she hit her head when you found her?" He spoke to the beautiful blonde that stood in the doorway as if none of this involved her.

"Not that I noticed. I was too caught up in the whole breaking of the window and what not." Sarcastic. Figures. She definitely didn't care about whatever was going on.

"Well, perhaps we should–" I coughed quietly to turn the attention on me. I would still like to know what exactly was happening. "I'm sorry. Was there something you wished to say?"

"Uh, what happened to me, exactly?" They all glanced around at each other, unsure of what to say. But, this was inevitable. They would have to tell me, eventually.

"Er– We found you. And you were crucially injured. It looked like a car accident. We brought you back here and discovered that the injuries were fatal, so... well..."

"You're a vampire." Elizabeth finished for him.

"A... what?" Did I hear this correctly? Vampire? I didn't even know they existed!

"Vampire. Ya know: bloodsucker, living dead, half bat. Yeah, all of that. That's you." Ok, I'm going to have to make a mental note that Elizabeth was not the most subtle person. She was just plain rude.

"But– How– When– WHAT?" I couldn't quite figure out how to put my feelings into words. I could feel my stomach churning at merely the thought of _drinking _someone's _blood_. This is not happening. This is just not my thing. How could something this... _random _be happening to me? Of all people!

"I'm sorry. She wasn't very gentle with telling you that. But you have to understand. If it weren't for Elizabeth finding you, you would be dead. We saved your life, Bella." Something seemed really wrong about this story.

"Wait, Elizabeth said something earlier about a window breaking? Where would that play into this car accident?" That was a little off first of all.

"I was driving the car." She said bluntly. No more questions for her.

"Yes, she hit you on her way back here. Luckily, no one else saw it. It was in a less popular part of town." The male said. He still hadn't mentioned his name.

"Wait, what town are we in, to be exact?"

"Charleston, North Carolina."

"And how did I get into this 'less populated area'? The last thing I remember was falling asleep. In a bed. This isn't adding up."

"Bella, you were definitely out. Are you sure you didn't get a concussion?" He seemed concerned. But, still. Something felt very wrong about all of this. But I just couldn't summon the memory. It was so frustrating!

"I'm sorry but you still haven't mentioned your name?" I needed to know that for when I filed my police report. Vampires kidnaped me. Oh, that would look good.

"Oh, of course, my name is Laurent."

* * *

**Ok, I feel great about this one. It definitely didn't take long. I've had like virtually nothing to do lately. And it should continue like that. Man, the week of thanksgiving, the chapters are gonna be coming like every day cuz I'm gettin surgery. BTW don't expect this to end soon. I'm enjoying it too much :) But I won't draw it out too long, that's just gay. ha. xo; mel.**


	9. Visitor

"Alice, we've got to go back out. We've got to find her! I won't ever be able to live with myself if we don't. Bella is out there somewhere and she could be hurt. Don't you understand? Say something!" Alice had just been sitting there, on the floor opposite of me, for hours doing nothing, saying nothing. And it was just about to drive me up the wall! My life was out in the world with people who we knew nothing about. We had been back in a hotel room because it had gotten too bright for us.

"Edward, chill. I'm watching. She's alive. I can still see her. I can see blurs of her in the future. Nothing to make sense of, but enough to know she's fine. She's going to _stay _fine. Now–," She went blank, staring off into nothing. That meant something. She saw something.

"What? Alice, what?" No answer. "Alice, what do you see?"

Nothing.

Her jaw dropped. And slowly turned to me.

"What, Alice?" No answer. "Alice, dammit, tell me!" I was shaking her like a rag doll, now. Completely frantic.

"Edward, I saw her. We have to go, now." She got up and looked out the window, just a quick glance. "It's still really bright outside. Maybe, I could go to the parking garage and get a car with a really tinted window... but we won't be able to follow the scent in a car. Hm..." She trailed off in thought. "We have to go now! We need something. Edward, help me think. We need to leave now but it's so bright outside. We'd never be able to get through without people gawking."

"I don't care. Let's just throw on a couple of layers of clothing or something."

She seemed okay with that because she started rummaging through the bags. She pulled out two large hoodies and long pants and a bottle of... sun screen? "Um, would that work? Because if it will then why don't we just douse ourselves in it?"

"It might. We should try it first. Here, give me your hand." She squirted a dollop out onto the palm of my hand and I spread it out over my forearm. After I finished, she opened the window and I stuck my hand out. No sparkles. Wow. Who would of thought?

"Great! Ok, let's get this over with. We may need more."

* * *

Laurent and Rachel finally let me out of that disgusting room. I showered and made myself look attractive. Not like it took much. I'm not positive and since I lost my memory I can never be sure but I'm pretty sure I have never looked so good in my life. I guessed it was just a vampire thing because all of the other vampires were just as beautiful.

They took me out to town. They said I needed to get some clothes because we'd be leaving soon. I wanted to know where we were going but they wouldn't tell me. So, I just went along with it. Shopping wasn't exactly the most fun we had but I guess I understand since I didn't have any clothes and was in desperate need of something without blood stains and dirt all over it.

No, the most fun we had was my first hunt. It was so exhilarating! They didn't want me hunting humans for my first time but that was okay with me because I didn't really like the idea of killing one. It was just too weird because I used to be one. I wouldn't really be too happy about being killed by a vampire if I were human, too.

* * *

We followed her trail for another couple of hours. We were near the outskirts of Charleston when we found where it led. It was an old house. Very old, from the looks of it. But Bella was in there and I was going to find her.

"Wait. Edward, I found another scent and its Bella's too." Alice said from a few yards away. We walked around a bit and found quite of few different trails, all of which were linked to Bella but leading in different directions. "She must be coming and going often. The one we followed is definitely the oldest. But they all seem to have come from the past two days."

"I'm going in. I have to find her."

"Wait, maybe we should just observe for a while."

"But if these are other vampires, they're going to find our scent here anyway. We need to go now, Alice. If Bella's in there she could be hurt. I have to get her."

"But, Edward, if they kidnaped Bella, they aren't gonna be very happy if we just waltz in there and take her."

"I don't care about any of that! I just want her back!"

"Edward, you need to think rationally. We can't just go in there. We have to have a plan." I didn't say anything. I knew she was right and I had to fight the urge as much as I could to just break down that door.

We wandered back into the woods and ran for a few miles until we were a good distance away.

* * *

Laurent, Rachel and I were all gathered around a table, not really doing anything particular. Just sitting. Elizabeth came in and whispered something in Laurent's ear and they both got up and left. I could just barely make out what they said with my all-powerful super ears.

"They've come here. We must go, now."

* * *

**Ok, this took forever. I've been procrastinating a lot. But it's here now. So review. BTW this chapter seems really dumb to me... lemme know what you think please. I need to see the positive feedback. However, if you don't like this chapter either, don't fret. The next one will be up soon and it surely won't be sucky. So review with your comments, good or bad. gracias. merci. grazie. dankeschön. thanks. xo; Mel.**


	10. Sweet, sweet Reunion

**First of all, Edward was frantic and not able to think clearly about anything in the last chapter. Just to clear that up for everyone... and stifle the obsessive compulsive senses in my mind.**

**Shit. Writers block. Ok here goes...**

We crept up on the house just a few minutes later. I guess I had finally driven Alice to the point where she didn't care. I wouldn't really shut up and this was the only way to do it.

We could hear people moving around in side and a couple of different conversations. I listened to there thoughts but the only thing I could gather was that they were leaving. No one thought of where, just the fact that they needed to get out. There was four maybe five different people.

We walked around the house until we found the an empty room. I peeked into the window and, sure enough, Bella was there. She was laying on a small cot in the far corner of the room.

Suddenly, my hope was restored. The only problem... I couldn't smell her. Well, I could. It just wasn't the normal her. It wasn't the smell of _her_ blood running through her veins. I listened for her heart but heard nothing. Then, my gaze came upon her eyes, her blood red eyes.

The realization hit me.

"No. No, no, no...Alice... did you see this coming?" I whispered. She just stared. I put my focus on her thoughts. She tried to hide it but I found what I was looking for. Though, it was just a small glimpse. I caught a small flicker of Bella, my Bella, lying on the floor of this same room. Her blood in a small pool around her. A small, crescent shaped cut on her right arm. "Why didn't you–" I stopped. She heard us. She was staring at us. I guess wondering why were out here. But she didn't come running which confused me the most. I tried to smile at her, to "dazzle" her as she had put it. Nothing. She just stared. This was agonizing. Why did she not come to me?

I pushed the window open, trying to be quiet, not that it would matter in the long run. I jumped in, landing lightly on my feet, and she continued to stare, bewildered. I tried to embrace her but she pulled away and hissed at me, crouching. What is going on?

"Bella? I've come to save you! Why are you doing this?" I don't understand!

"What are you talking about? Save me? Who are you?" She stood up straight and gazed at me with confused eyes.

"What? Bella... what are you talking about?"

"I don't know who you are... and I definitely don't need to be _saved._ This is where I live! Well, not anymore. We're leaving."

"No, Bella. You live in Forks, Washington. You were kidnaped."

"No, I wasn't. I was hit by a car... They're the ones who saved me." She pointed toward the door. I redirected my focus and heard the thoughts of the ones who "saved" her. They were coming.

The only thing that I could think to do at this point was grab her and run. Alice was thinking the same thing.

So I did.

She struggled a lot in my grasp and she was definitely stronger than me. But nothing was going to stop me from taking her, not even her strength. I had her now and I wasn't giving her up.

Apparently, luck was on my side because she didn't scream. She was too busy trying to wrestle free. So we ran and ran. We didn't stop until we were far enough away to have at least an hours head start.

I'm almost positive no one heard us because as we were leaving the thoughts around me pretty much stayed along the same track.

After we found a clearing that seemed pretty secluded and a good distance away, I made sure she had stopped struggling and let her down.

Why did you do that? I have to get back! They're gonna leave me!"

I couldn't help but chuckle at that a bit. Bella, she hadn't changed a bit... except for the whole not remembering anything. She always seemed to surprise me... wanting to go back to the ones who had taken her life. It was a bit ironic.

"You never cease to amaze me, Bell."

"Stop talking to me like you know me. You don't!" and she turned around and began walking at a human speed in the direction we had come from. I caught up to her with ease.

"Why are you walking so slow? You could've easily outrun me."

"I like to pretend I'm at least somewhat human. And that's how I do it. However, if I must, I will outrun you. I have no reason to stay with you. You practically kidnaped me right out of my own home."

"You really have no memory at all do you?" She just shook her head. "Bella, if you give me five minutes to prove to you that this is not your life, I'll show you who you are. And if you don't believe me, I'll let you go forever. That is, if that's what you really want."

I knew a flash of hurt came across me and I quickly hid it to the best of my ability. But I knew that letting her go would be the hardest thing I could ever do. After all, the worst had already been done and there was no way to change it at this point. There was nothing that could keep us apart, now.

She seemed to contemplate that for a moment.

"Ok, I think I have time. But it won't work. They've already told me a lot of who I was before."

"I think you'll find our stories a bit different. But I know the truth and that's what matters. But first, I want you to know that I have never truly lied to you. And I never, never will."

She just nodded and I began my story.

"You lived in a town called Forks, Washington. You moved there at the age of 16 because your mother had remarried and wanted to travel so you went to live your father. At first, you hated it but, then, you met me. We fell in love, despite my minor setback of being a vampire and you a human. But we defied all of the rules." She stared intently at me, no sign of any recognizing any of it, but I continued. "You begged me often to change you because you wanted to be with me forever, and I wanted you too but I didn't want to take away your soul.

"On your seventeenth birthday, my foster brother, Jasper, attacked you and put that scar right there on your elbow because you gave yourself a papercut and he couldn't hold himself back. When I tackled him to keep him from you, you fell on a glass table. That's how you got that," I grasped her arm carefully and deliberately to point out her small scar, barely visible in the sunlight. "After the incident, I got scared. I didn't want you to be around my family or me because I realized how easy it was to set us off. I was afraid for you. So I left you. I left, telling myself that I wouldn't come back, that it was better for your safety if you forgot about me and lived your own life, without the constant danger. Ha, I was wrong. I always said you were a danger magnet. Look at you, now." I took a long look at her, and had to look away. It was unbearable to think that I had let this happen to my Bella.

"I returned to you one night, but I never meant for you to see me. I told myself that I would watch over you but never let you know I was there. I knew someone was coming for you, that danger was near by, so I was going to protect you. But you saw me. And I couldn't resist. I broke my promise to you and myself that I would never bother you again. Then, I realized the danger you were in and brought you here, to North Carolina, to keep you away from them." I motioned in the direction of her "home." I lingered on that thought for a moment. "They found you. I was in distress for days, thinking of how I had let you go, how I had failed you. I swore to myself then that I would find you or die trying. Die... or whatever it is we do. But I was going to get you back. That was all that mattered. Life, no existence, without you... would be like... a fish without water, a day without the sun... a lion without his lamb." I smiled to myself and looked up. A flood of realization seemed to seep slowly through her.

She stepped close to me and stared deeply into my eyes.

"Like liquid topaz." She touched my face, the sweetest feeling I could have ever imagined. "What a stupid lamb."

I beamed. _She remembered! _I scooped her up in my arms and held her there. When I set her down on the ground again, I looked her straight in the face and smiled. "What a sick masochistic lion."

"Ok, umm... I really hate to break up the lovely reunion but they noticed she's gone. We really need to get going."

"I would carry you but it appears that you can, now, run faster than even me."

"Sure can." She flashed me one quick smile and took off. I guess, she was making it a game.

Just as we were out of the meadow, five vampires entered, sniffing the air, preparing to fight.

**I'm sooooooooo sorry. I kinda got hooked on reading rather than writing.... my bad. You can hit me if you want, but that would be different virtually. Ha. Yeah, so obviously you can sense a fight scene coming up seeing as the last phrase was "preparing to fight and all. Well, as it turns out, I'm not so good with fighting scenes so if anyone has any spectacular ideas, they would much appreciated. I'll give you credit if you come up with the winning idea. PLEASE, PLEASE help. I guess it goes without saying. REVIEWWWWW!! Thanks. xo; Mel**


	11. Author's Note

**Author's note. **

**Ok, people. I find it rather annoying that no one is helping me out with the fight scene.... i mean, come on. almost 50 readers since i posted it and not one single suggestion! **

**Since I'm not getting too much help out of all of you, I figured I'd make a little contest out of this. Submit me an idea for the fight scene and maybe a few examples, and whoever's idea was the best, I'll post it. Also, as a little additional prize, you can give me an idea for a Christmas theme fic. **

**Only problem with this plan is that I'm leaving town Tuesday, so the deadline for this will have to be Monday, December 22. **

**Please help me out here people. I'm terrible with coming up with stuff like this and I know you don't want this story to go downhill at this point. **

**Mucho Gracias. **

**xo; Mel**

**P.S. I really am fight-scene-disabled. I need all the help I can get. So give me more than one idea if you have to. The more the merrier**


	12. A Suprise Addition

**So thank you to littlejuliz for being the first and ONLY person to give me an example of what you want for the fight scene. I appreciate you. As for the rest of you… thanks for reading, I guess. Haha. In case you're wondering why I took so long to post this… well, take a guess! I had writers block! And no one helped me out. Oh well, here goes. **

**Chapter 11: The Surprise Addition**

I could smell her. I could smell all of them. They had been here, recently. At this point, they couldn't have been more than two miles away. I had only brought with me Elizabeth and Rachel and they were not enough to get her back, especially if they had told her the truth. I could only think of one person who could help us and she would not be happy that I let the girl get away in the first place.

I pulled out my phone and dialed her number, bracing myself for her reaction.

"Victoria, this is Laurent. I have some bad news…" I was right. She wasn't happy at all. Actually, she most likely wants to kill me at this point but there really wasn't much I could do about it, now. She was on her way and would, surely, bring help. We could take down the two of them easily and, if necessary, the girl, as well.

* * *

After about ten miles, we stopped so that Edward could call the rest of the family. They had arrived in North Carolina that morning.

"Carlilse, we have Bella… Yes, she's been changed but she's alright, otherwise… I'm afraid we're being followed… I'd say about 30 miles south of Charleston… There were three in the house as far as I could tell: two newborns and one adult… Laurent was among them but the other two I didn't recognize… I can't hear any of them so they're at least far enough out of my range… If they're following then we won't have long… Of course, I'll see there." He snapped the phone shut and turned to me. "How many were there, Bella?"

He was very tense but still some seemed… gentle.

"There were only three of them, just like you said." He seemed satisfied by this, but I felt like I couldn't be much help. "They talked to someone on the phone a lot. We were just getting ready to leave, but I don't know where we were going to go."

"Thank you," He said as he smiled at me. And for the first time since we'd been together, he leaned in and pressed his soft lips to mine.

We took off, once again, and headed towards town. It was bright outside so we had to stay within the trees. We waited in the shadows for the family that I was once so intent to join. Now, that was finally possible.

It didn't take them too long to arrive and the first thing I noted when they did was that, just by seeing them, my memories came flooding back. Emmet pulled me into a bone crushing hug as soon as he saw me. I laughed and squeezed back, hard enough to make him glare at me, jealous. Jasper seemed glad to see me, as well—which was somewhat surprising because the last time I saw him he was trying to kill me. It also surprised me how little tension I felt and I knew it had nothing to do with Jasper's "abilities."

Rosalie was the only person who was reluctant when she saw me. But, after a moment, she gave me a small hug and a guarded smile. Maybe, now that it's too late for me, we could finally be friends.

The feeling of reunion didn't last long because Edward and Jasper immediately got down to business. We had to prepare ourselves for anything and, for some reason, Alice was of no help at all.

"I can't see anything. I know that we're going to plan, but after that… nothing. I haven't been able to see anything except that Bella was changed. I have a feeling that they have someone with them that can curtain their entire coven from my visions. But it's no werewolf."

"Wait." I spoke up. "There are werewolves?"

"Not now, Bella. We'll discuss this later." Carlilse said, a tad hostile. He was tense at the idea of hurting someone.

"Then, we'll just have to think of every possibility. They have newborns among them so we can kill those off quickly. Bella says that they contact others so they might be bringing in help. But unless they have the future, as well," Jasper said as he wrapped an arm around Alice's waist, "Then, we're one step ahead—even with their blocker."

"I don't want Bella anywhere near all of this." Edward interjected.

"What? No. You can't keep me out of this Edward. I'm not just going to hide. I want to help!" I tried to defend myself. I wasn't just some fragile little human anymore and I would not be treated like one.

"Bella, it's you they're after. If you're hidden then they'll have more trouble finding you. If they're trying to find you then they'll be more distracted. We could pick them off easily."

"I don't care. I have to help. You're not going to lock me up and leave me all alone. I won't let you."

"Bella," Edward placed a hand on each side of my face to make sure I was looking him in the eyes, "Do you really think that I would leave you, again? I've had you back for a solid half an hour. Would I leave you alone?"

He had a point, but it still wasn't fair that even now, when I'm as strong as I'll ever be, he won't let me kick ass. So, I pouted.

He chuckled at my attempt, "Bella, I'll be with you. The rest of the family can fight them off. You don't have to help. Besides, we don't have time to get you ready for them. It would be best if you just—" He was interrupted as Laurent, Elizabeth, Rachel, and Victoria stepped into view. I counted them and realized that they had brought someone else.

"No…" I gasped as my father stepped in behind a sneering, snarling Victoria.

**It's short but I think it'll do since it's my first update in… 6 months haha! Sorry about that but you brought it upon yourselves. Ok, fight scene is the next chapter, I promise. I have a pretty good idea of what I'm gonna do with it. Please review. :) xoxo; Mel**


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